Family Matters
by Ren Kayashima
Summary: The great Penelope Garcia has been felled by a four year old. Written for Chit Chat's March Madness challenge.


Author: Ren Kayashima

Genre: Friendship/Family

Rating: K

Pairing: Hotch/Garcia

Disclaimer: Alas my top secret mission to steal the rights to Criminal Minds failed. At the last minute my repel line broke and I was arrested for trespassing on ABC ground. If you would like to help me with bail money…

Written for Chit Chat on Author's Corner March Madness Challenge. (TV Show Prompt: Family Matters)

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Garcia fell on Hotch's couch tiredly. It was hard to imagine, but the great Penelope Garcia had been felled by a four year old. Hotch could come home anytime now. Seriously, she wanted that stone faced wonder of a father to come walking through the door. She wanted to ask him how he did it. How did he manage to be the father to a tiny tornado or physical and mental destruction? Jack wasn't like this before, was he? Or did he only put out all the stops when dear ol' dad was MIA?

It was supposed to be a relatively simple babysitting gig. Hotch's mother had fallen ill. At least that's what he said on the phone to get her here. He could have been lying. Jessica was away on some job conference. So, Aunt Penelope came sweeping in to save the day with her peppy attitude and colorful glasses. She was happy to take care of the little tyke, but she didn't realize how much went into making his day a fun adventure with Aunt Penelope.

First, it was a simple game of hide and seek. Little did she know that Jack Hotchner was the master of hiding. She was on the verge of tears after a half hour of looking, only to have the little boy come out of daddy's laundry basket to give her a hug. She held onto him for a couple minutes before committing herself to never let the little bugger out of her sight.

Next it was the great lunch debacle. Apparently Hotch's grilled cheese was infallible in the eyes of young Jack. It couldn't be American cheese on white bread like Garcia made it. No, it had to be cheddar, Swiss, Gouda, and sourdough bread. Otherwise the four year old would cross his arms and turn his nose up at it. Before when she watched Jack, she always made a PB&J sandwich and the kid was set for an hour.

Finally, the baby G-man demanded that Aunt Penelope come up with a completely original story. So, as she gave the tale of King Arthur a modern and interesting twist, the four year old drifted off into a world of wonder and magic.

Add on the running around as they played 'superhero' and the fact that she had to wrestle him into his pajamas, then you had one tuckered out Penelope Garcia. She was dog tired, happy, but so very, very exhausted. She was just about to close her eyes when Hotch came through the front door.

"Hey," he greeted. "Is Jack asleep?"

"Been asleep for an hour now," Garcia smiled as she sighed.

Hotch looked around the condo. Toys were scattered around, telling him that Garcia didn't have time or the energy to pick up the little army men, plastic dinosaurs, crayon's, construction paper, and blocks.

He slipped his shoes off and kicked them next to Penelope's discarded pumps. He was in simple brown slacks and a grey sweater. "How long did it take for you to kick the shoes to the curb?"

"An hour," Garcia laughed. "Jack Attack is a speed demon."

Hotch let out a small chuckle. He took a seat next to her on the couch. "Was he okay?"

"Yeah, he was great," Garcia said. "He sure knows how to hide."

"Was he in my laundry basket?" Hotch asked as he slouched back in his seat. His face was full of signs of exhaustion. Bags under the eyes, slight stubble, and in general more relaxed features of the face.

Garcia studied the team leader. Never had she seen him so relaxed in his posture and in his attitude. She knew that he wasn't always the stone faced leader of their make-shift family. He had a life outside of the walls of the FBI, but he didn't get to see that part of him all too often. There was Supervisory Special Agent Hotchner, and then there was Aaron, the single dad.

"Thank you Penelope," Hotch spoke after a minute of silence.

"How's your mother?" Garcia asked. An image of a stone faced old woman popped into her head and she mentally giggled.

"She's going to be okay. Sean came and is going to be staying with her until she gets back on her feet."

"What was wrong with her?"

"She threw her back out," Hotch said. He pushed himself off the couch to start cleaning up.

Garcia joined in. "So, she's going to be okay?"

"Yes, her doctor gave her some strong painkillers."

Garcia picked up a stegosaurus and laughed. "Well any time you need a last minute babysitter and child wrangler, you know who to call."

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Hotch joked. "You're dead on your feet Penelope."

Garcia straightened up and put her hands on her hips. "Aaron Hotchner, the BAU is my family. Jack is a part of that family. I love him to death, no matter how tired I get. So deal with it."

"Well, if any unexpected family matters come up, you'll be the first person I call," Hotch smiled.

"You need to smile and joke more," Garcia grinned. "It looks good on you."

Hotch shook his head as he continued to clean up. The two BAU members spent the next hour cleaning up. "I'll try it sometime," Hotch told Garcia.

Later on in the night Hotch promised to teach Garcia the art of the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

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Author's Note: Well I know it's short, but I hope you liked it. It was fun to write. I took a pinch hit for the Valentine's Day Challenge, so that will be out sometime later this week. I hope to get it done later tonight, but there are some other things to get done.

So let me know what you think. I love to hear from the readers.

Ren/Shane


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